Missouri lawmakers' effort to win trust hurt by resignation

By SUMMER BALLENTINE

Updated 10:15 am, Saturday, February 20, 2016

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As the Missouri Legislature scrambles to regain public trust after the resignations of two legislators last year, another lawmaker who acknowledged he had an affair stepped down Wednesday.

The departure of former Republican Rep. Don Gosen of Chesterfield came the same day senators weakened a bill to limit when legislators can become lobbyists — part of a push to reform what one political scientist described as a "frat boy" culture and improve public perception of state government.

Whether those efforts will work is unclear.

Gosen's resignation and the Senate's retreat from a plan to ban lawmakers from lobbying for a year after their terms end "would lead some people to conclude that nothing has changed, or little has changed," University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist David Kimball said.

Others are even more skeptical.

During debate on the bill to prevent lawmakers from leaving office early to become lobbyists, Sen. Bob Dixon said that measure and other proposed ethics changes won't change "a single thing."

"Not one of the so-called ethics bills on the calendar will solve or address any of the things that occurred in this building last year or...this week," the Springfield Republican said on the Senate floor. He said the Legislature faces a "human heart problem."

Gosen said in an interview with The Associated Press that his affair had "nothing to do with the Capitol" and that his situation was more about human fallibility. The woman involved does not work in the Statehouse, he said.

Political scientists say issues at the Capitol range from recent sex scandals to Missouri's status as the only state with unlimited campaign contributions, uncapped lobbyist gifts and a revolving door that allows lawmakers to leave office and immediately become lobbyists working to influence their former colleagues.

The Statehouse fell under the national spotlight last year when, on the last day of the legislative session, former speaker John Diehl stepped down after admitting he had exchanged sexually suggestive texts with a Capitol intern. Paul LeVota, a Democratic senator, resigned months later amid accusations that he sexually harassed interns, which he denied.

Lax ethics laws, Kimball said, could lead lawmakers to believe they have free rein in what he said is viewed as a "frat boy" culture in Jefferson City, where legislators live away from family during the roughly five-month legislative session.

Republican House Speaker Todd Richardson, who replaced Diehl, pushed for greater emphasis on ethical behavior in response to the scandals. He said he asked Gosen to resign after hearing about Gosen's "situation."

Following recommendations from the speaker's office, all House members and staff must complete annual sexual harassment training. All staff in majority and minority leadership offices are required to report claims of harassment to the House Division of Administration and the reports must be investigated. Outside counsel reviews complaints against lawmakers.

"I remain confident that we will significantly improve our ethics laws this year," Richardson said in a Friday statement. "I believe strongly that these reforms will not only improve the perception of the process, they'll improve the process."

But Richardson faces skeptics.

Taylor Hirth, who said LeVota made unwanted sexual advances toward her in 2010 while she was a 24-year-old intern in his office, said she doubts stronger ethics bills will pass after years of failure.

"What's happening in Jefferson City is more than an issue of a few misguided folks making poor life decisions. It's an issue of culture," Hirth said in a statement. "Until the ethical loopholes that perpetuate this culture of entitlement are addressed, we'll continue seeing these public apologies and pathetic resignations."

Kimball said even if legislation passes, more needs to be done to restore public faith in government.

"It would help as a first step, certainly," Kimball said. "But I still think to make a bigger improvement on the Legislature's public image would take a more sustained effort than just passing a law."

Supporters acknowledge there are limits to what lawmakers can do to combat the Legislature's poor reputation. Rep. Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican pushing to close the lawmaker-to-lobbyist revolving door, said ethics bills on the table "absolutely" would not have prevented the scandals now plaguing the Capitol.

But he said tightening ethics laws could help improve the legislative culture.

"There are certain things that you can't change," Rowden said. "Laws don't keep people from being immoral. But what I've said all along is that this isn't about controlling individual behavior as much as it is about affecting the environment as a whole."